DISCLAIMER: See
A/N: This chapter is where things definitely begin to go downhill...
CHAPTER 30: AN EXCRUCIATING CRISIS
Ignis coria et carnem trahit. Fire contracts skin and flesh. –Lucretius, de Rerum Natura (6.966f)
Harry and Ron were in the common room
with the
rest of the Quidditch team, preparing their brooms for tomorrow's
match, when
someone said, "Hey, everybody quick, listen to this on WWN!"
Everybody stopped what they were doing as the person turned up the
volume on
their wizarding radio.
A reporter's voice could be heard: "Breaking News: Percy Weasley,
accused
Death Eater, has been working undercover for Dumbledore and the
Ministry this
whole time. We are at the press room right now, where the Minister,
Arthur
Weasley, should be coming in right now- wait, there he is!"
Ron and Ginny looked tense and nervous. "This I gotta hear," Ginny
growled.
"I wonder what sort of pompous nonsense he'll spin off this time,"
Ron sneered.
Mr. Weasley's voice could be heard now. "Good evening, witches and
wizards
of
There was an enormous buzz of questions, and a witch asked, "Mr.
Weasley,
if you were working against You-Know-Who, then why did you strike your
sister
that night in Riddle Manor?"
Some people turned to look at Ginny as he answered this question. "I
wasn't aiming for her; it was a complete accident."
"Yeah, because he really wanted to attack me," Harry snorted. A
wizard asked, "Mr. Weasley, now that you have revealed your true
intentions and cannot go back to spy on You-Know-Who, what will you do
now?"
"I will help the Ministry and my family by setting up new programs to
aid
people affected by the war, and also to set up an investigation of how
to use
the information I stole from You-Know-Who's hidden base."
"What is your opinion of Harry Potter?"
A pause. "No comment."
"Figures," Harry scoffed. "Got to protect his reputation, hasn't
he?"
"At least he's not like Fudge, who would never allow a single word to
be
said against him," Hermione commented.
The press conference went on and on, and it seemed as though it was
excellent
news, to know that the Weasley family had come through yet again. All
of Gryffindor
was thinking about sending Percy some gifts to congratulate him on the
success.
Harry, on the other hand, could care less, so he just went to bed.
~*~*~*~
The next afternoon was the Quidditch Final, with Gryffindor versus
Ravenclaw.
Both teams had been working their hardest, eager to grab the Cup. There
had
been some rivalry in the halls, but nowhere as intense as
Gryffindor-Slytherin
rivalry.
Ron encouraged his team to eat and build up their strength. Unlike
Oliver Wood,
however, who used to eat nothing before a match, Ron demolished his
servings
and had seconds of nearly everything. Hermione, who had been eating
neatly,
unlike her ravenous boyfriend, whispered to Harry, "If Ron eats any
more
sausages, his broom will collapse under the weight."
On the way out of the Great Hall, McGonagall whispered in Harry's ear,
"It's not as though I'll assign detentions and such if you lose, but
please don't lose anyway." Harry could only nod in compliance with her.
In the changing rooms, Ron basically told the team several different
ways not
to lose this match. After much reassuring and a pat on the back from
Harry
which only a true friend could give, the team went out.
The Gryffindors and Ravenclaws cheered for their teams, while the rest
of the
school politely applauded (except for Luna's eagle head hat, which
cawed
loudly). The Ravenclaw team was already there waiting, with Cho in the
lead,
looking determined and rather smug.
She's definitely got some trick up her sleeve, Harry thought to
himself. I'd
better watch myself.
"Chang, Weasley, shake hands," Madame Hooch said, and both captains
did so, looking each other straight in the eye.
"Take off on my mark. Three- two- one-" The whistle blew, and the
game began.
The game flew by like the broomsticks as Harry and Cho out maneuvered
each
other. Harry had been observing Cho's tactics, and had noted she didn't
rely on
speed. During the first time they had played against each other, she
had been
able to beat Harry from one place to another in short hops, and that
was with a
Comet 260, a rather old model. Cho had applied speed to her strategy,
which
Harry had to take into account. All in all, Harry and Cho were evenly
matched.
During the course of the game, Ron had managed to block every one of
the
thirteen shots that came his way. The Ravenclaw defense was nearly as
tight,
and the Gryffindor Chasers had only managed to earn six goals, so after
an
hour, the score was 60-0 to Gryffindor.
Harry was Seeking near the Ravenclaw goal posts, when he heard Lee
Jordan say,
"Wait, is that the Snitch?" He whipped his head around, and he saw it
fluttered halfway between the center of the field and the Gryffindor
goalposts.
He flew towards it, and was barely twenty feet away from snatching it
when Cho
did something never before seen on a Quidditch pitch.
She was about thirty feet above the Snitch, flying flat out, when she
did a
back flip in midair. Coming to a dead stop in horizontal speed, she
continued
until she was facing straight down, and then plummeted. In a flash of
blue and
bronze, she caught the Snitch. (1)
Hooch's whistle signaled, the Ravenclaws burst into cheers, and Lee
said in a
shocked voice, "Ravenclaw wins, 150-60... Good Lord, I don't think any
of
us saw that one coming! But what was it that Chang did just now?"
Hooch landed beside Cho, talked to her, and taking out her wand, the
Ravenclaw
placed the Sonorus Charm on herself. "Thank you, everyone. In case
you're
wondering, that was a new move I was working on, which I call the Chang
Swan
Dive. I hardly relied on the speed of the broom to do so; I could have
been on
my old Comet 260 and I still could have pulled it off. Oh, and good
game, it
was a real challenge."
Harry set down on his broom and politely applauded as Cho muttered
"Quietus." Harry walked into the Gryffindor changing rooms as quickly
as possible as Dumbledore awarded Cho the Quidditch Cup.
In the changing rooms, no one made a sound. The other teammates would
look at
Harry for a moment, and go back to what they were doing. Ron was in a
state of
shock, and would often remove an article of clothing before staring
into space
for a few moments. Eventually, Harry decided to break the silence.
"Ron?"
"Hm?"
"Er, look. Normally, it grates on my nerves when you rant about
Quidditch
and winning like that, but if it will relieve any stress, feel free and
go
ahead. Believe me, it would have been nice to win again; I was shocked
when Cho
caught the Snitch."
Ron turned to look at Harry, his eyes a little unfocused. "Why do
things
not seem to be going my way this year?"
Harry knew what he was implying; the first Quidditch match, which Ron
should
have played in. "Look, Ron, sometimes McGonagall can be strictest on
her
own students. Sometimes, things just happen that people can't control.
I'm
sorry we lost, I really am. But, it's not like it was a total loss."
Ron looked at him strangely. "Like how?"
"For one thing, you didn't let a single shot get through."
Ron's smile returned a little. "I guess."
"C'mon, Ron, there's next year."
Ron's smile grew a little wider, but Harry warned him, "If you act like
Oliver again, I'll quit. See that I won't."
Ron burst out laughing.
On the way out of the changing rooms, Luna came up to them. "It wasn't
a
total loss, Ronald. You blocked thirteen straight goals during the
entire game,
and not a single shot got through. I checked; that's a new school
record. It
will be recorded in the trophy room."
Ron suddenly looked ecstatic, regardless of the fact that he just lost
the
Quidditch Cup. Ron's victory was bittersweet. Harry was happy that at
least
some good could come from it.
"Congratulations, Ron, oh Baron of the Broomstick," he joked.
"Sod off," Ron said in a good-natured way.
~*~*~*~
The Gryffindor common room was rather quiet, and quite a few seemed
disappointed with Harry for losing to his ex-girlfriend. Harry defended
himself
by saying that it happens sometime, and he was actually quite glad that
he lost
under fair circumstances for a change, unlike when Cedric Diggory won
during
his third year.
Ron quickly saved Harry from anymore criticism by telling everyone
about the
record he had broken. Everyone cheered for Ron, and a sort of
mini-party was
quickly underway.
It was a close call when McGonagall dropped by. She congratulated Ron
on the
achievement, and primly asked Harry not to let it happen again next
year. Harry
got the hint and nodded dutifully as McGonagall left with a butterbeer
clutched
in her hand.
Harry was able to quell the discontented Gryffindors with likening
their house
to a phoenix; it always rises again. Eventually, the same thought was
in
everyone else's minds; there's always next year.
~*~*~*~
It was an hour before dinner when Ron and Ginny came up to Harry and
Hermione
with good news. To celebrate Percy's return, Ron's Quidditch
achievement, and
celebrate Ron's birthday early, dinner was being served at the Burrow.
Professor Lupin was outside, waiting to chaperone the four, plus
Neville and
Luna. Harry and Ardeavis used their phoenix abilities to transport
everyone to
the Burrow.
The Burrow was different compared to when Harry last saw it. Before, it
looked
like cubes that a child had stacked up. Now, some rooms on the ground
level
were rectangular and stretched out. Now it seemed to resemble a strange
sort of
pyramid or ziggurat.
"Harry!" a voice said behind him. It was Bill, walking alongside
Fleur. "Nice to see you again. As you can see, the Burrow has undergone
some changes. You know, new benefits, that kind of thing."
"We were thinking about buying a tower or two next," Charlie joked,
coming out from behind some trees. "I wouldn't be surprised if Mum
wanted
to install a dungeon or two- you know, in case the twins misbehave."
Harry and the others laughed at this. Molly Weasley wrapped him in a
firm hug
as he walked in, and Mr. Weasley shook hands with him. Harry
congratulated them
on the new expansions, at which they beamed.
The kitchen had been magically expanded to suit a dozen or more people.
The
furniture and appliances were all up to date, and everything was in
pristine
condition. (Of course, they might have been transfigured, Harry
reminded
himself.) Fred, George and Lee were already inside, and Percy was
talking to a
girl in a corner that Harry recognized as Penelope Clearwater. Fleur
and
Gabrielle were supervising the cooking. Gabrielle turned to see Harry
and
bolted.
"Harry!" she squealed in a heavy French accent, hugging him. Everyone
else laughed (with Fred, George, and Lee laughing the loudest), and
Harry
slowly replied, "Er, nice to see you again, Gabrielle... well, when
you're
not tied to a statue underwater, anyway..."
After another round of laughter, Penelope came up to Harry and said,
"Nice
to see you again, Harry."
"Likewise, Penelope." Noticing Percy's scowl in his direction, he
lowered his voice and asked, "Er, how's Percy doing?"
Penelope sighed. "I love him, but he can be so stubborn sometimes."
"You and Hermione would have a lot to talk about then," Harry mused,
causing Penelope to laugh a little. "Sometimes, I can swear Ron is like
a
younger version of Percy."
"Harry!" George called.
"So good to see you," Fred added.
"Hi guys," Harry told them. "So, is it safe to ask what you got
Ron?"
"Well, since he now past the legal age of consent, we did consider
buying
him some personal protection," George started.
"But, if we embarrassed birthday boy Ron and his darling Hermione like
that in front of company, Mum would literally throw us out of the
house,"
Fred heaved with a sigh.
Harry snickered at the mental image of Mrs. Weasley chucking the twins
out the
front door.
Suddenly, Percy clutched at his left forearm. The Dark Mark was
obviously
burning. All activity stopped as people saw this; Percy said, "Never
mind," as he got up and took an icepack from the icebox.
"I'll alert Dumbledore," Bill said while going into a different room,
while Mr. Weasley double-checked all the different wards on the house
and the
property.
"Are you okay, Percy?" Harry asked.
Percy shot him an appraising look. "Don't see why you care, Potter."
"Maybe I could find some way to get rid of it."
"How?" Percy challenged.
"Dumbledore got me a book on Dark Magic-"
"WHAT!?" Mrs. Weasley raised her voice, being a few feet away,
gaining the whole room's attention.
"Please, relax," Harry told her. "Dumbledore got me a book on
it, so I can understand what I'm up against. Voldemort-" collective
shudder "-is so steeped in it that Avada Kedavra didn't work the first
time. If I can find out what keeps him together, maybe I can find a way
to take
him apart. It's not as though I'm actually going to use any of the
stuff in
that book."
The group in the room nodded approvingly at Harry's hypothesis. Percy
still
looked disapproving. "Anyway, Percy," Harry continued, "Since
you've obviously revealed what you've been up to, you can't spy on him
anymore.
I might as well find a way to get rid of the Dark Mark on your arm."
"Why would you want to help me anyway?" Percy scoffed.
Harry shook his head, exasperated. Why oh why must he be so difficult?
he
thought. "Percy, I've never done anything to go against you. Well,
except
maybe for the fight at Riddle Manor, but that was a misunderstanding.
Even
while you were still at school, I looked up to you every now and then.
You've
given me advice for which O.W.L. subjects to take, awarded me full
points for
the second task of the Triwizard Tournament while filling in for
Crouch, been
in the same house as me for a couple of summers... you even asked me to
win a
bet for you once, which I know Penelope can attest to. For once, will
you give
it a rest with acting the victim?"
Percy eyed Harry for a moment, and walked off without a word.
Harry, on the other hand, used his Legilimency during that brief
argument to
look into Percy's mind. A Legilimens could read another person's
thoughts as
fast as a person could think. Percy was sneaking through dark
corridors,
avoiding traps... then he was in an office, stealing documents... he
was nearly
out of the building when Percy suddenly was outflanked by several Death
Eaters,
which he was fighting off... bruises all over his body, but somehow he
managed
to get away... and the memories ended there as Percy walked off.
'Wait a minute!' Harry thought to himself. Percy's escape seemed a
little too
easy. Surely Voldemort's henchmen were more well-trained than that!
"Harry?" said a voice from behind him. It was Mr. Weasley.
"Yeah?" Harry said a little distractedly, since he was still thinking
about Percy's memories.
"Percy's been like that, I know," Mr. Weasley said wearily. "He
seems to think you're trying to replace him."
"I don't try to replace anyone. By the way, nice press conference."
"Thank you. Care to take a walk with me?"
Harry nodded and did so. On the way out, he and Mr. Weasley heard Percy
talking
to Ron and Hermione.
Hermione asked Percy, "Why do you keep acting that way towards
Harry?"
"Because I feel like I constantly need to compete with him! Because I
need
to show that I can do some of what he can."
Ron sighed and shook his head. "Percy, you never had to. It's not as
though anyone's keeping score." Ron then gave a brief smile to
Hermione,
who was glad that Ron was using the wisdom she herself had taught him.
Hermione added, "It's not Harry's fault that people feel so inclined to
honor and worship him and be nice to him. He's done nothing but help
your
family."
Percy sighed and walked away.
Mr. Weasley had also been listening, and said, "Percy seems to think
that
anyone who's grown up in a rough environment will have evil
inclinations and
can't be trusted, case in point, You-Know-Who. Little does Percy
realize that
he invalidates that argument, because he came from a loving home, and
yet he
had enough will to be against us last year."
Harry nodded. "I know you gave him all the love you could. I may not
have
been best friends with Percy, and maybe he's been a little pompous or
overbearing from time to time, but that doesn't mean I wish anything
bad would
happen to him."
Mr. Weasley nodded gravely. "That was the problem exactly. His brothers
kept dubbing him as 'Prefect Percy,' and underneath is formal, strict
outer
shell, he was a frightened, insecure teenager."
Then Harry remembered something. "Mr. Weasley, when Percy returned with
whatever it was, was he all beat-up?"
Mr. Weasley looked a little confused. "What do you mean?"
"When I looked into his memories with Legilimency, he was fighting off
all
these Death Eaters who caught him, and yet somehow, he didn't get hurt
all that
bad. No booby traps either. Something's definitely wrong with that; it
should
have been a lot harder for him than that."
Mr. Weasley was about to say something when Molly suddenly shouted,
"Dinner's ready!" With that, all further conversation was terminated
as everyone joined in the festivities.
Ron's 17th birthday was fairly exciting. Mrs. Weasley cooked up some
fancy
foods, which Ron had thirds of, much to his mother's delight about her
"growing youngest man." (Hermione rolled her eyes; apparently, she
didn't know of Ron's normal eating habits at school.) His father gave
him a new
watch, Bill gave him a healing ankh like the one Harry had, Charlie
gave him a
Quidditch trivia book, and Percy gave him a stationary set with
portable
writing tablet and five Ink-Loaded Quills. The twins had given him some
samples
of their newest goods, but to the surprise of everyone else, they also
got him a
bottle of fire whisky. The twins' reasoning was that since Ron was
immediate
family, he automatically had access to their newest products, so
something new
for a change was needed. Ginny gave him a box of Chocolate Frogs and
Hermione
gave him a book about better study habits (the message was lost on no
one as to
what she had meant). Neville gave him a Foe-Glass, like the one the
fake Moody
used to have in his office, and Luna gave him two Crumple-Horned
Snorkack
figurines, one of each gender. Since Harry had already given him a
Firebolt, he
decided to chip in a picture of Ron saving his 13th goal from the match
earlier
in the day, taken by none other than Colin Creevey.
"A new record!" Bill exclaimed. "That's outstanding, Ron!"
"Yeah," Ron said with a half-hearted smile. "Would have been
better if we had won."
"You lost?" Charlie asked incredulously. "How in blazes
did that happen?"
Some pairs of eyes turned to Harry as Ron said, "Harry only lost to his
former girlfriend."
"Hey, I didn't know she came up with a new move!" Harry protested
over all the noise. "Besides, from the way you're talking, you make it
sound as though I was watching her instead of the Snitch!"
"Were you?" Ron asked dubiously.
"No! Of course not!"
"Actually," Luna said calmly, "The reasoning behind her tactic
was that you had become rather big for a Seeker, compared to years ago.
This
only made it easier for her, with all the muscle you've put on, or so
she told
me the other day in our common room."
Harry thought this over and hung his head in exasperation while leaning
against
the wall. Ginny put a hand on his shoulder and said, "It's alright,
Harry,
she can't do it next year, because she'll have graduated by then."
"That's some consolation, I suppose," Harry said wearily. "At
least I lost under fair circumstances for a change, compared to when I
went
against Cedric a few years ago."
"Oh, and Ron," Fred said to change the subject. "Almost forgot.
Dessert."
"We know how much you liked éclairs, so..." George took out a box,
and added, "Don't worry, it's safe; no way we'd risk Mum's wrath on
your
coming of age."
Ron eyed them suspiciously before accepting the box. Fred suddenly
said,
"Oh wait a moment..." With a wave of his wand, he levitated all of
Ron's presents to outside the room before saying, "OK, that's
better."
Ron slowly undid the wrapping, and a ticking sound came from inside.
"Ten second fuse," George supplied, which earned worried glances from
everyone else in the room.
"Thanks, guys, I always wanted a time-bomb for my birthday," Ron
joked. Suddenly...
Boom! A rush of red creamy filling filled the room and covered all the
objects
and occupants. Harry felt himself sticky, and took off his glasses, and
saw Mr.
Weasley and Percy doing the same thing with their own pairs.
"Hey, that's one big éclair!" Ron exclaimed, looking into the center
of the box where a foot-long éclair lay.
"Exploding Eclairs!" Fred exclaimed. "Perfect for anyone who
loves to watch their desserts explode!" (2)
"Flavors include chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, lemon, grape,
blueberry,
fruit punch, or in your case, cherry," George added.
Harry shook the cream out from his hair (which caused it to fly all
over anyone
nearby). "Hey Harry!" George called. "You're part of the family
now!"
"Chances are, he will be in a few years," Ginny defended him, walking
up to him and kissing him on the lips. "You taste wonderful," she
commented.
Harry walked away from the wall, which now had his outline on it. Ginny
took
some cream and drew a caricature of him, recognizable only by his
glasses and
scar, which earned some laughs from everyone else in the room.
It all vanished a moment later, so that way it would be easier to clean
up the
mess ("Thank heavens, I was wondering about that," Mrs. Weasley
sighed with relief), and the Weasleys and company spent most of the
evening and
night having fun, listening to music, and trying stuff out. The twins
had also
demonstrated their new Animagus Testing Treats on themselves ("I'll
pass," Ron said, glancing over at Harry), and for several minutes, two
identical red-furred chimpanzees ran around the house, climbing up and
down
objects, and throwing harmless objects, much to the annoyance of the
matriarch
and the amusement of everyone else. Harry and Ginny, as lion and tiger,
tried to
pin the troublemakers down, but were then forced to retreat outside as
fruit
got thrown at them.
"QUIT MONKEYING AROUND!" Mrs. Weasley shouted, which coincidentally,
happened to be at the same time the potions wore off. This only
resulted in
more laughter from inside the house.
Suddenly, there were explosions in the distance, and the Dark Mark
flared into
the sky. Harry and Ginny gasped, and their panic increased as the
explosions
seemed to be slowly coming near them, house by house.
"Harry! Ginny! Both of you get back inside, now!" Mrs. Weasley yelled
with panic, and they were only too eager to comply. As they got back in
the
house, Order members and Aurors appeared both inside and out. Mr.
Lovegood and
the Diggorys were also there, looking a little shaken up.
Suddenly, Dumbledore appeared, with Fawkes on one shoulder and Ardeavis
on the
other. Strength emanated from him, and they all felt his strength.
Quickly, he
gave instructions. "Charlie, Fred, George, Ron, go back to Hogwarts;
Miss
Chang and Madame Hooch have SkyFoxes ready. Luna, Hermione, Percy, you
help Mr.
and Mrs. Weasley reinforce the wards around the house. Harry, Neville,
Ginny,
go with the phoenixes and try to stop whoever or whatever you can.
Tonks,
Kingsley, Lupin, Moody, Bill, come with me." Everyone complied all too
eagerly.
Fawkes grabbed Neville by the shoulders, and Ardeavis with Ginny, and
becoming
a phoenix himself, they disappeared in a burst of flames.
~*~*~*~
It was 9:30 at night, and most people would be going to sleep around
this time,
except everyone was wide awake and fearful for their lives. The village
was
turning into a veritable war zone.
The Fawcetts, Lovegoods, Diggorys and Weasleys (the only wizarding
families in
the area) had put protective wards on their houses so domes of pure
energy
would protect them. The Muggles who lived in Ottery St. Catchpole, on
the other
hand, didn't have the luxury known to some as magic.
One man tried firing his gun at a Death Eater, who merely laughed and
sent it
back at him, lodged in his chest. Another family was tortured by the
Cruciatus
Curse, then was left to die when their house was set on fire and caused
to
collapse.
Aurors and Death Eaters battled in the streets, from behind buildings
and on
top of them. Red and green flashed in multiple directions, and
occasionally,
there were explosions which rocked the ground. A few Death Eaters even
did
things like levitate cars high up and let them drop, causing them to
explode.
However, when it came to knowledge of Muggle things, some Aurors
happened to
know more than Death Eaters, who were, of course, pureblooded bigots
who didn't
actually understand how such things worked. Often, Arthur Weasley would
explain
how things worked (thanks mainly to the large book Harry had given him
for Christmas)
through Communication Crystals to the Aurors in the fighting.
Harry, Neville, and Ginny had already come up with a plan. The three of
them
would put magical restraints on the Death Eaters, and Fawkes and
Ardeavis would
then use their phoenix abilities to drop them off at the Ministry, so
they
could be taken away by Ministry officials.
Harry saw a nearby gas station, which the Muggles were fleeing, for
fear of an
explosion. The Death Eaters were closing in on them, but Harry sprung
forward,
shouting, "Over here, Death Munchers!"
That immediately got their attention. While the Muggles ran off, the
now
distracted Death Eaters closed in on Harry. He, on the other hand, was
ready
for him. They sent Unforgivable Curses at him, which he dodged by
Apparating.
He reappeared in front of the gas tanks, and they fired curses at him
again
while running towards him.
Big mistake.
He quickly Disapparated, and Apparated across the street, facing the
gas
station. A second later, it exploded. The screams of the men were
thrown
backwards were drowned out by the deafening explosion which rocked the
ground.
The orange flames licked the night sky as Harry went out to find other
innocent
people to rescue and other Death Eaters to kill or capture.
One thing Harry noticed was how the Aurors were spread thin, as though
not many
of them could be spared for the battle. He decided he would ask about
that
later; in the meantime, he continued his hunt.
Suddenly, he found himself face to face with Lucius Malfoy. Harry could
tell it
was him by the condescending drawl in his voice. "Well well, the great
heroic Potter has decided to grace us with his presence."
"Shove it, Malfoy," he said.
"You're about to pay for what you've done to my family, Potter," he
growled. "CRUCIO!"
Harry tried to move, and suddenly, he found himself up in the air and
on top of
the building behind him. 'What was that?' Harry wondered. Then he
remembered
once when he was being chased at school and he jumped on top of the
building.
Had he done the same thing again? But then he remembered the feeling he
just
had, as though he knew he could test himself out.
'Let's try that again,' Harry mused, and he jumped from one building to
the
next- a distance of twenty feet! His legs hardly even hurt from the
landing! He
jumped up in an arch, and back down to the ground- the maximum height
from the
ground was about fifty feet! 'How do I keep doing that?' Harry thought.
'I'll
have to ask Dumbledore about that later, but for now...' seeing that
Malfoy had
spotted him again, he tried to run.
Yet another thing that happened was that suddenly, the curses were
moving twice
as slow as they normally do! Either that, or Harry was moving twice as
fast...
Either way, taking advantage of this, Harry had an idea. While running
parallel
to Malfoy, he fired various curses, which the Death Eater only barely
shielded
himself against. Not giving up, Harry ran back and forth, and finally
Malfoy
succumbed to two Stunners and a Full Body Bind.
"Ardeavis!" he called. The phoenix appeared, grabbed Malfoy, and
vanished. With a smirk on his face, the teenager continued his battle,
with
Ardeavis right behind him, continuing their "Stun and capture"
tactic. Harry stunned and magically restrained the Death Eaters, while
Ardeavis
took them away. Fwoosh! Gone. Fwoosh! There. Fwoosh!
Gone.
Fwoosh! There...
Eventually, Harry worked his way back to the Burrow. About twenty Death
Eaters
were trying to get in, but Harry had other ideas. He used a restraining
spell,
and iron chains flew out of his wand like ribbons, and while running
down along
the line of attackers, and all the Death Eaters were eventually bound
on the
ground along the same line of chains. Just then, Ardeavis swooped in
and
disappeared with them.
"Hey Harry!" Ron called from his broom overhead. "One heck of a
birthday bash, huh?"
"I know!" Harry called back.
The air suddenly felt cold, and Harry knew it was the dementors. After
everyone
ate some Cheering Chocolates, they took the offensive. Harry shot his
silver
stag at them as various Patroni joined his. One SkyFox pilot charged a
dementor, sending a swan Patronus ahead to clear the path; that one
obviously
belonged to Cho. Harry, Fawkes and Ardeavis all tore at the dementors,
ripping
them apart.
Suddenly, Harry felt a strange wave of energy. Turning around, he saw
Duimbledore conjure multiple phoenix Patroni, which flew through the
dome and
engulfed the dementors, practically disintegrating them.
'Dumbledore thinks I can actually get up to his level?' Harry pondered.
'That
wouldn't be too bad, I suppose.' Trying to boost the morale of everyone
else,
he started singing an inspiring melody, which the other phoenixes
joined in
with. The three intertwining songs struck fear into the hearts of newly
advancing Death Eaters and renewed energy to the soldiers of Light. The
remaining Patroni stopped fading, and instead grew in both size and
power, and
once again took on the offensive.
Suddenly, something struck at the flying group. Fred and George were
both shot
down, but Ron was able to conjure cords around them and their
broomsticks, and
towed them back to safety. Charlie, who was just turning around to find
and
curse the source of the attacks, was then fired down, and he
disappeared into
the trees, deep into the woods.
There was a strangled cry, and Harry saw Bill running out of the
protective
dome, and blasting curses at any foe who dared cross his path.
At that point, Neville and Ginny appeared below him. Transforming back
and
dropping in front of them, he said, "C'mon, Bill and Charlie are in
there!" With nods, the three of them ran into the woods.
They never heard the others call them back.
~*~*~*~
"Lumos," all three of them said in unison. They slowly worked their
way through the forest, calling out their names for about twenty
minutes. They
had no qualms about possibly giving away their location, since Harry
alone was
more powerful then them.
Suddenly, Harry saw something flash through to his right. Quietly
signaling to
Neville and Ginny, they took on their Animagus forms. Lion, tiger, and
bear
each sneaked through the woods, their senses at their peaks. (3) They heard a little bit of
screaming ahead, and before anyone could transform back to say
anything, they
heard something from overhead.
"Harry! Ginny!" It was Ron. Harry transformed back and said, "I
heard someone screaming down that way; hurry!"
Ron didn't need to be told again. He quickly zoomed over that way, and
a few
moments later, there was a bright light as Ron crashed.
Ginny roared with anguish and sped off in that direction, but Harry and
Neville
were right behind her. All three young Animagi stopped dead in their
tracks at
the sight.
Bill and Charlie were lying on the ground, nearly unconscious and
moaning in
pain. Ron's SkyFox was caught in some branches, and he was hanging from
it by
his tangled seat belt, like some parody of a puppet. A madly cackling
figure
said in a fake baby voice, "Aw, all together now! Crucio!"
All three Weasley males were screaming in pain, and Harry felt his
blood
pressure rise at the sight. He was about ready to rip Lestrange apart,
but
Ginny beat him to it.
With a roar, she leapt on the female Death Eater and clawed at her
back. Harry
and Neville joined in, and like her ill-fated brother-in- law,
Rabastan, she
was the target of all the force and flying claws. Neville even managed
to wrap
her into a crushing bear hug (not at all affectionate), while Ginny
made to
claw at her face.
At the last moment, however, Lestrange used her wand to wrench herself
free,
and Ginny and Neville landed in a heap of red and brown fur. "Nice try,
you ickle little furballs, but you're out of your league!"
"Then it's time to move up to your league," Harry said behind her.
"Expelliarmus!" Lestrange was thrown off her feet and back
into the woods, but her wand was gripped so tightly that it didn't
leave her.
"Ardeavis!" Harry called while cutting Ron loose. His phoenix
appeared, and immediately catching onto the situation, was off with
Bill,
Charlie and Ron.
Lestrange, on the other hand, was charging back into the clearing like
an
enraged bull. But Ginny was ready for her, with a Trip Jinx ready.
Possessed by
sudden rage at how this horrible woman kept hurting his friends, Harry
ran at
her, and as she was halfway to the ground, built up his muscles and
kicked her
right in the face.
"ARG!" she screamed, blood spewing forth. "Get up," Harry
snarled. "You think you're so tough? You can't even handle teenagers
like
us." His blood pressure rising again, Harry kicked her in the ribcage,
and
she clutched her side in pain. But in her other hand was her wand...
"VEXATIO FLUCTUO!" All three students were knocked to the
ground. "So, what do we have here?" Bellatrix said, smiling evilly
with her mask off and blood all over her face. "A Potter fool, a
Longbottom crybaby, and a Weasley Amazon. Brilliant." Raising her wand
at
Harry, she shrieked, "CRUCIO!"
"NO!" Neville yelled, jumping in front of him, wand ready. "STUPEFY!"
Two different red lights connected, and suddenly, the ground seemed to
shake a
little. A beam of light connected Neville's wand and Lestrange's, which
was
bronze-colored. It splintered off into a dome of smaller bronze beams
of light,
and there was what sounded like a dragon roaring.
"Priori Incantatem," Harry muttered, his mind reeling. Neville's
wand is the brother to Lestrange's!? he thought incredulously.
Ginny was
unable to say anything, so she just stared in silent shock.
And then the spells began. It seemed that Lestrange must have really
liked to
use the Cruciatus Curse, because for the most part, a cacophony of
screams kept
coming from the wand. A few shades of past victims appeared, but beyond
that,
it was mainly just echoes of the Cruciatus Curse.
"Don't give up, Neville!" Harry shouted over the dragon's roaring.
Neville could only nod as he put more and more force into it. The
echoes of the
spells seemed to come out faster and faster now, and now they were
echoes of
simple spells, what looked like magic from Lestrange's own school days,
until-
BOOM! Her wand exploded and splintered off into pieces. The
light cage
fell apart, and both opponents dropped to the ground dazed and unable
to move
for the most part.
There was silence as Harry said, "I guess the wand couldn't go back
beyond
its first spells. But that's strange, even my wand didn't force
Voldemort's to
go that fast."
Just then, however, Lestrange sprang up and snatched Neville's wand
before the
latter could get up. With fire in her eyes and poison in her voice, she
aimed
at Ginny and spat, "CRUCIO!"
Ginny screamed in pain, writhing on the ground in agony. Lestrange
grinned
insanely, not letting the curse go.
For a moment, Harry watched with horror as Ginny languished. Her
movements were
like that of a thrashing animal... her voice was the worst sound in the
universe...
And then his anger exploded.
The wand somehow flew out her wand and back into Neville's and she
looked at
him with fear evident in her face. Harry felt his blood pressure soar
beyond
normal endurance... he felt the anger and righteous fury, and the voice
somewhere behind his eyes, telling him to punish this woman for her
crimes...
Dropping his own wand and letting out a scream of anger that actually
frightened the Death Eater, he raised both his hands together and shot
out the
biggest blast of fire of the three he had unleashed so far.
Anyone overhead would have seen an ellipsoid of fire that shot at
Lestrange,
and went past her and around trees, through the woods, and through
every
conceivable nook and cranny. The rush drowned out Lestrange's scream,
and a few
moments later, it stopped.
Lestrange no longer looked remotely beautiful now. In Harry's opinion,
her
appearance was now one with her soul; like that of the blackest, most
miserable
demons from Hell itself. She dropped to the ground, still alive, but in
utter
pain.
"That," she gasped, crawling on her knees, "Was worse than the
Cruciatus Curse itself..."
That thoroughly shocked all three students present. Neville and Harry
retrieved
their wands as a sudden wind rushed through. Looking up, Harry saw that
familiar chariot pulled by thestrals, the rider having red cat-like
eyes.
"Impressive, Potter," Voldemort called out, "But I'm not afraid
of a little fire."
"Master, please," Lestrange sobbed.
"I'll shall have to deal with you yet again, Bella," Voldemort hissed
dangerously. Harry stood his ground while Neville and Ginny backed into
the
trees. Suddenly, Lestrange floated upwards as though being scooped up
by giant
invisible hands, her robes trailing underneath her.
"Next time, Potter, next time," Voldemort said dangerously, speeding
off into the night.
Becoming a phoenix again, then allowed the other two to grab his tail,
and they
flew back to the Burrow.
~*~*~*~
The Burrow was chaos when they returned. Surprisingly, it was still
intact.
Everyone was silent as they approached. "What happened?" Harry asked.
Molly had tears streaming down her face, with her husband's hand on her
shoulder. Fleur was screaming, her hands in her hair, about ready to
tear it
out, with Gabrielle hugging her older sister around the waist. Penelope
and
Hermione were comforting their shocked and downcast boyfriends.
It was Dumbledore who finally spoke up. "Bill and Charlie were exposed
to
the Cruciatus Curse for too long. Their minds were snapped. They are
currently
lying on cots in their old rooms, before they're moved to St. Mungo's."
Ginny let out a gasp of horror, and Neville looked positively repulsed.
Harry
closed his eyes in horror, his stomach doing flip-flops of emotional
pain.
Ginny flung her arms around Harry, sobbing into his shoulder, which he
didn't
object to.
Luna then spoke up. "They might not stay like that for long. We have
some
ingredients, which if we can put together, might be able to make an
antidote
for the Cruciatus Curse."
Harry opened his eyes, his mind racing. "
"You certainly have some ideas, Harry," Ron noted.
"I didn't get into my N.E.W.T. level Potions class for nothing, you
know."
"I can think of plants which might help," Neville added. "I'll
work as long as I have to this week if Professors Sprout and Snape, if
it means
getting closer to a cure."
"More bad news, Neville," Dumbledore spoke again. "There were
attacks all over
The news sunk in like heavy weights. "Furthermore," the Headmaster
continued, looking older than ever, "Each student will go back and
forth
by Portkey. Each family will also have an Emergency Portkey, which will
be used
if their home is ever attacked."
"Professor," Harry said, "This means I have to go back to the
Dursleys, doesn't it?"
"As much as that might seem a good idea, I don't think so.
Harry breathed a little sigh of relief. He went over to Ron and
comforted him
for a bit before returning to the school. On his way out, he could have
sworn
he saw Ron shed a few tears.
~*~*~*~
The entire school was informed of the widespread attacks, and the air
of panic
reigned throughout. Depressed and worried, students got their things
together,
making sure they had left nothing behind.
All of Gryffindor was in a sort of state of mourning as people in the
common
room tried to console Ron and Ginny. Everyone had to be consoled,
between those
who had lost something or someone, and those who were afraid of who or
what
they could lose.
It was half an hour before curfew when something occurred to Harry. It
was Mark
Evans, the first year Muggle-born in Slytherin. He might not know how
to
sufficiently defend himself, as would his parents. Harry certainly
didn't want
the Evans' to end up like his own parents.
Then his mind made another connection. The person who painted that
double
portrait of his parents was named Perseus Evans.
After putting two and two together, he wondered: Even though "Evans"
was a fairly common surname, could they still be possibly related
through his
mother? He wanted to ask about that, but he couldn't just
phoenix-travel to the
Slytherin common rooms as a phoenix.
But he could ask Snape about Mark's family, since the man was the
protective
Head of Slytherin House.
Getting his thoughts together, he got his trunk, shrunk it, put it in
his
pocket, and departed from the common room to Snape's office.
(End of Chapter 30.)
A/N: Tragic, huh?
(1) This was a little hard to write, so use this as a comparison: Remember in "Matrix Revolutions" where Niobe does that with a ship she's piloting to have dive into a service pipe? ("Hang onto your lunches.") It's the same idea.
(2) The Exploding Eclairs in this story are based off the Enormous Exploding Eclairs in AgiVega's wonderful story, "If The Fates Allow." I got her permission and tweaked them, as well as using the idea of making them in different flavors.
(3) No, I am NOT going to put in
any cheesy Wizard of Oz references with these three animals. :P